“It’s fine. I’ll get my shoes on.”
She waited by the door, remembering how many times Kayn and Sona had gone out on excursions together in Ireland. Eve sympathized with Kayn for the first time. How difficult must it have been for him and Sona to flirt with each other with Joe tagging along? It gave her a new understanding for the Royals who’d have bodyguards around all the time. From Darius’s surprise, she guessed he hadn’t needed a guard in Boone. Maybe they only came when the guys traveled.
“Any luck finding a house?” she asked Joe when he came to stand by her.
“I have an offer in on one, and I’ve invited my kids to spend Thanksgiving with me.”
“Have they accepted?” She knew that, because of the traveling required for his previous job, the man’s marriage had fallen apart, and he’d become estranged from his children. One of the most important parts of Kayn offering Joe a job with REKD Gaming had been that he’d have a home where his college-aged children could visit him.
“They have.” He gave her the biggest smile she’d seen him wear, his white teeth bright against his dark skin.
“I’m happy for you.”
“I’m ready.” Darius grabbed a leather jacket from the couch. “You’re welcome to play here, Noah, or you can do it in your room. Just don’t stay up too late.”
“Aye, da.” The young man gave him a cheeky grin, and Darius returned it with a very high-school-teacher flat look.
The three of them left the suite and didn’t speak until they were out on the street. As Eve had seen Joe do in Ireland, he stayed back a few paces.
“What do you have in mind?” Darius asked. “Because you always have a plan. I think the only person who might be even more organized than you is Ahri.”
“Then you must be thrilled to have her as your assistant now.” Eve pointed to the left. “St. Andrews Park is in that direction and isn’t far away. I thought it’d be fun to check it out.”
“Parks can get dodgy after dark so don’t plan on staying long,” Joe said, not looking happy with her suggestion.
“We’ll only stay as long as you’re comfortable,” Eve said. “Let’s go.”
They hadn’t gone very far when a crowd of laughing teens walked past them. Darius took her arm and pulled her closer to him, sending thrills of hope and alarm through her. One of the young men saw the gesture and winked at her.
Darius dropped his hand but held out his elbow. Remembering how he’d done that her first night in Boone, she took it. As they headed in the direction of the park again, the last of the sunlight disappeared, and she was glad for his added warmth.
“How long do your jobs usually last?” he asked.
“It can depend. Sometimes a week or two, while others can last for several months.”
“Do you like being on the move so much? You’ve always been close to your family, and it must be hard.”
“It has been.” Eve hadn’t expected to talk about this with him, but they’d always been friends, so why not? She let out a deep breath. “I liked it at first because I wanted to stay away from Boston and the bad memories there.”
“Because of me?” he asked, his voice soft.
Eve glanced at him, startled. Was he talking about the “elephant in the room” that they’d been skirting the last two weeks?
“No. I got engaged right out of college. He stood me up at the altar.” Eve carefully kept her gaze forward as they walked, not meeting the sidelong glance he gave her. Her shoulders tightened, expecting his pity, but it didn’t come.
“I’m sorry,” he said, but his tone had a choking quality to it. She glanced at him then, wondering what she’d said to illicit such a powerful response. He continued to face forward, his posture stiff. “That must’ve been devastating.”
“It was. He’d made reservations for our honeymoon cruise, and I heard he took his new girlfriend.”
Darius’s arm twitched under her hand.
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. It was the ultimate slap in the face. A part of me wanted to scratch his eyes out, a sentiment my father completely agreed with, by the way.” Eve tried to keep her tone light. “Mother, on the other hand, said the last thing I’d want to do was let him see just how much he’d hurt me. It wasn’t long after that that I received an offer for my first out-of-state nursing job and didn’t come home for almost two years. There were too many memories. Lately I’ve come to understand that I let that jerk keep me from seeing my family as much as I’d like. That’s going to end.”
It didn’t hurt that he’d taken a job on the West Coast and his parents had moved to Florida. The likelihood of her seeing him again by accident were slim.
Darius was quiet as they strolled through the park and then made their way back to the hotel. He’d always been a good listener because he didn’t push. Eve appreciated that he hadn’t asked a bunch of prying questions.
